if the wicked curse and vituperate us, God blesses and praises us. " Though they curse, yet bless Thou." (Ps. cix. 27.) Is it not enough, perchance, for us to be praised by God, by all the angels, by the saints, and by all good men? Let us leave these sinners to say what they will, and let us persevere in pleasing God, Who is so grateful and faithful to those who serve Him. The more repugnance and contradiction that we experience in doing good, the greater will be our merits and God's pleasure. Let us imagine ourselves to be in the world with none others save God and ourselves. When these wicked ones scoff at us, let us commend ourselves to the Lord, and rather thank God for having given to us. that light which He has not given to those miserable ones; and let us pursue our own way. Let us not be ashamed of appearing as Christians, since our blessed Lord protests that "whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when He shall come in His own glory." (S. Luke ix. 26.)
If we desire to be saved, we must resolve to suffer and to strive; nay, even to do violence to ourselves. " Narrow is the way which leadeth unto life." (S. Matt. vii. 14.) "The "kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (S. Matt. xi. 12.) They who do not force themselves will not be saved. There is no remedy for us since we must go contrary to our rebellious nature, if we wish to follow what is good. We ought especially to endeavour at the beginning to root out every evil, and to acquire every good habit; since when a good habit is formed, it renders the observance of the Divine law, easy, and even sweet. S. Bridget said that he who, in the practice of virtue, with patience and courage, endures the first pricks of the thorns, shall afterwards find the thorns become roses. Attend, therefore, my Christian; Jesus Christ says to Thee now, as he said to the paralytic, " Behold thou art made whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." (S. John v. 14.) Remark what S. Bernard says: " Thou nearest that it is worse to relapse, than to fall." Woe, says the Lord, to those who take hold of the way of God, and then leave it. "Woe to the rebellious children." (Isa. xxx. 1.)
